Angel of Asphodel
by Twilight Joltik
Summary: Asphodel is the empty realm where video game characters are cursed to wander until needed for a game once more. Pit has been tasked with retrieving characters for fourth Super Smash Bros from it, like Peach once retrieved him. But the instructions he was given by Master Hand of who to save, he can't bring himself to follow them to the letter, and yet he can't save everyone.
1. Pit

_**AN- This is an idea that's been floating around in my head for quite some time. I don't really know where it came from, but I suppose it's a little based on a oneshot of Reevee12's I read a while back, I think called Featherweight? I just remembered that now, so I guess it was sitting in my subconscious and combined with my ideas of Pit being the one who chose the roster of newcomers for Smash 4 to make whatever this is. Why Pit, you ask? I hope that becomes clear as this goes on. So, only my ideas are mine, thank you, and enjoy. –Twilight Joltik**_

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 _Angel of Asphodel_

 _Prologue- Pit_

Asphodel, the dark void of a place where those forgotten by the so-called World of the Light ended up, the place where Pit had been tossed after his adventures had ended, never got any less unpleasant. Anything at all would be better than just being stuck in that nothing for the rest of time, even the Underworld itself, and he was certainly talking from experience. He had seen both places, travelled through both places for far too long, and unless his memory was abysmally selective, he would have welcomed finding himself climbing from the depths of the realm of Hades again with open arms and wings if it meant leaving Asphodel behind.

Not even Palutena's light could reach that realm. He hadn't seen her since he briefly exited the realm to battle Orcos to protect her, and to be entirely honest, he supposed he could probably bear wandering Asphodel forevermore if he could at least do it at her side. It didn't even have to be Palutena, he supposed, if he could just have someone to talk to other than himself. Even Medusa herself would be preferable to this solitude, but countless eons had passed with him alone, and surely countless more would pass before either he somehow faded into nothing or perhaps just went mad and lost all sense of self in that place.

Darkness and solitude and memories, that was all he had, and he was certain it was too late for that to change. No matter how much he looked for a way back to the World of the Light, they had forgotten him, and no one would ever come for him. Those ancient phantoms he vaguely and fondly recalled- Samus, Link, Mega Man, Simon Belmont- he couldn't even know if they'd been sentenced to the same fate as himself. Perhaps they'd been remembered and called upon; he certainly hoped so. Not even the vilest of demons deserved to suffer such a fate, and certainly not the most shining of heroes.

Nothing changed in that place, nothing would ever change, he was certain of that, but then he saw something he hadn't seen in countless ages: light. More specifically, he saw a faint rip of white leaking into everything in the distance, and in that faint light, a lone figure. A lovely woman in a flowing dress with a ribbon tied around her waist, seemingly tied to the light itself. The ribbon glowed as if it were made of the very light that was now leaking into the realm, making slight waves in the eternal darkness.

He stared in awe at the woman for quite some time, simply unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Had he at long last expired in this place? Was she some sort of angel? She was moving towards him, that much he knew, but something about her appearance looked almost foreign, like something that shouldn't belong in that realm.

It took him a moment to realize that what he was noticing was color. The pinks of her gown, the blues of her eyes, the golds of her hair; it made him want to cry, realizing color wasn't a thing he'd seen in several eternities. Something so simple had become miraculous, and somehow, he knew that even if this woman was to vanish suddenly and be the only thing he ever saw in the darkness again, it would be more than enough to satisfy his hunger for light and color and beauty for the rest of time.

But then, another miracle happened: she spoke. "Pit!", she called out. His name, how long had it been since he'd heard it said out loud? Not since the last time he'd muttered it himself to pray he wouldn't lose it to the voids of Asphodel. The voice was loud and a burst of something in a world of nothing, but much to Pit's surprise, it was also familiar. Though it took him a moment to place, he soon realized that the woman in front of him was Princess Toadstool, the liege of the great hero Mario.

"Princess… Toadstool?", he called back, but his voice came out like sandpaper. After all this time, it sounded so unfamiliar to use it as a response to one other than itself.

She gave a small chuckle, and the sound of laughter filled the nothingness as it hadn't in ages. "I go by Peach now," she explained in honey tones. She was close enough now to touch, the ribbon training behind her like a bird's tail feathers.

He attempted to apologize for his error, but was cut off by her extending her hand to lightly brush his cheeks. Judging by the small spatter on her white gloves, she had been wiping away tears he hadn't realized he was crying. "It doesn't matter," she assured him with a smile. "But this place, it's really awful, isn't it?"

A small nod was the only response he could force out. The look she gave him could only be one of pity, but somehow, it made him feel better. Someone cared, it seemed, and that alone filled his heart with a warmth he scarcely recognized. Another small giggle came from the princess. "Good thing I'm here to get you out, huh?"

The words, they didn't make sense. How could someone be coming for him, why now? There was so much he wanted to ask, but all that came out was a sob. His tears suddenly blurred the dimly lit void into a single streak of pure white light, and Peach's arms quickly enveloped him in an embrace.

Being near someone again, letting out everything he'd been feeling for so long, the promise of an end to the solitude, the light and the color and the sound and the laughter, it was more than he could take. It felt like she forced him to end the hug after a short eternity, though he was certain it had only lasted a few seconds. "Pit, you need to hurry if you want to leave," she instructed. "Follow the ribbon back to Master Hand, he'll tell you what to do when you get there, got it?"

He had no idea who or what Master Hand was, but he didn't question it, given how her voice had assumed a direness he wouldn't dare challenge. He held tight to the ribbon as he raced towards the harsh light, and it flowed like water in his fingers. Was it truly made of light like he'd thought? Doubtful, but it radiated a soft, beautiful light all the same. The closer he got to the light, to his salvation, the more it hurt his eyes and made his heart beat like thunderclaps. The moment that Asphodel seemed to end and a room beyond the light hit his feet, pure joy washed over him and he was certain that no matter what that place held, nothing could ever make him happier than entering it had.

Seven years later, and though Pit had experienced many moments of immense joy, he was still fairly certain he'd been correct in that assumption. Despite being reunited with Palutena, being told he'd exist in the world of the light for quite some time alongside many great heroes in an event known as "Super Smash Brothers", going on a third adventure all his own to defeat Medusa and then Hades, and barely even going back to Asphodel for a second, he was still pretty positive nothing had matched finally leaving that forsaken realm.

And that, as he sat in Master Hand's office, waiting for the preparations to be made, was exactly why his heart was beating so quickly. He was to retrieve newcomers for the next Super Smash Brothers tournament as Peach had retrieved him and many others for the last one. He was to be an angel for lost and forgotten heroes as Peach had been for him. This wasn't a job he was even remotely qualified to do, he knew that much, but it was also one he wanted very much. Even if the thought of searching Asphodel made him sick, the prospect of saving people like he'd been saved made a smile remain on his face.


	2. Instructions

_Angel of Asphodel_

 _Chapter One- Instructions_

After what seemed like hours of bittersweet anticipation, Master Hand finally turned to Pit and declared "It is ready." The angel raised his head from the checklist he'd been given by his superior and felt his heart leap up into his throat. Weakly, he nodded and gripped both arms of the chair as he forced himself to his feet, said checklist falling to the tiled floor with a loud clang.

Pit simply stood there for a moment, unsure if he was supposed to step forward or wait for further instructions before deciding to pick up the checklist. His eyes scanned it once more- "Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, a Pokémon from Kalos, Pac-Man, Palutena, Shulk, Chrom, Chorus Kids"- they were who he was meant to be retrieving, or at least who Master Hand had suggested. He was repeatedly told that the list was only a guideline and that following it to the letter wasn't as important as him choosing whomever he thought was right.

"Who he thought was right", that was a large part of why he was so nervous about everything. He wished that the checklist had been an unbreakable rule rather than a tentative list of possibilities. After all, who was he to decide who was allowed in the light and who was doomed to Asphodel? His throat grew thick with sickening unease each time he thought about the prospect of having to know that he was someone's only hope and he didn't come through for them.

"Now listen," Master Hand's booming voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I have faith that you can do this, but there are some things that you need to keep in mind, lest you and all you save get lost to Asphodel."

Bowing respectfully, Pit listened to these instructions with rapt attention and a quickened pulse. "The 'Elysium Trail'," The hand picked up a thick white ribbon that could have only been the one Peach had worn when doing the same task all those years ago. "You must make certain it does not come undone from your waist or snap, understood?"

"Y-yes, of c-course, Master Hand!", Pit assured him as said ribbon was deftly tied around his waist. It was a bit too tight, but he supposed that was intentional and necessary.

Moving back from the angel, Master Hand seemed to examine his handiwork with unseen eyes and gave what only could have been a nod. "Yes, that will do. Oh, and you must make absolute certain anyone you decide to bring here holds tightly to the Elysium Trail and follows it back here. Without it, they'll slip back into their division of Asphodel and won't be able to access the exit."

"R-right…" He barely understood what Master Hand said- was Asphodel perhaps a bunch of different prisons he was cutting through with the ribbon?- but he nodded all the same.

A noise almost like a chuckle came from the hand. "Pit, I know you will do us all proud. The Trail will try to lead you to the people I suggested, but remember: I cannot tell you who you can and cannot save. Now, remember you have a very limited amount of time before my access hole collapses, so be as swift as you possibly can. Now step back."

Pit didn't hesitate in the slightest as he took several paces away from Master Hand, who assumes a pose similar to one of his attacks and, just as he did in battle, ripped a hole in what could only have been the fabric of space itself. A black expanse that was chillingly familiar was just beyond the tear, filled with despair and hopelessness. Everything that haunted his nightmares was right in front of him, and he was as terrified as he was when he first found himself in that place. The only thing that stopped him from running or collapsing into sobs was the small voice crying out in his mind, insisting that the people beyond that void were as lost as he once was.

"Now go!", he was ordered, and he didn't hesitate to act on that command. With the ribbon of light trailing behind him, he leapt into the void of despair known as Asphodel, leaving the checklist he'd long since memorized falling onto the floor behind him.

Miraculously, the pained, lightning-paced drumming of his heart almost completely subsided as he entered. All the darkness mixed with the bright light surrounding him, it was oddly peaceful. With the ribbon tying him to the World of the Light, he felt as if he was protected from the impenetrable despair of the place. Nothing could harm him, he was perfectly safe and he was making sure others would be as well. He would save as many as he could, and the joy that had filled him when Peach saved him would fill them as well.

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 _ **AN- Short chapter, but I felt going on would make the chapter's focus shift too drastically midway through. Besides, given I originally envisioned this as a one-shot, I'd intended for the chapters to be short from the start. Also, does Pit's checklist look a bit familiar? If not, think back to before Lucina and Robin were revealed, that should jog your memory a bit. Anyways, thanks for reading, and special thanks to Reevee12 for giving this project her blessing. –Twilight Joltik**_


	3. Villager

_Angel of Asphodel_

 _Chapter Two- Villager_

With light shrouding him, Pit walked on through the forsaken realm and wondered how he would ever be able to find anything in such a vast, empty place. However, that soon stopped feeling like an issue, as he could almost feel the ribbon around his waist pulling him along. The way Master Had talked about it, combined with the way it made the empty blackness feel comforting, combined the two things made Pit not doubt for a second it could have some power able to lead him to those he sought.

It pulled him along- or perhaps he pulled it?- until the light managed to fall upon someone. It was a familiar looking child, with dead eyes and a red shirt emblazoned with the number 1. He looked a bit melancholy, but also faint, like he wasn't truly lost in this realm but merely passing through as Pit had been after the last tournament. That child, the 'Villager', as he was called, he was practically the mascot for an entire set of stories, and he would always come out of this place, regardless of if he was the one to lead him or not.

For a moment, Pit considered passing him up in favor of someone who looked more lost, who was in more need of salvation. No, the clipboard flashed in his mind once more, and he recalled his own doubts. Who was he to decide who was worthy of being saved or who didn't need it? Even if this kid was passing through, he was doubtlessly still scared. He was used to living alongside a great deal of friends in peace, not wandering such an eerie, lonely realm. To be passed up would break the kid's heart, and Pit began to hate that he'd even considered forgoing him.

Rushing towards the Villager, he extended his hand. "Hey!", he greeted brightly. He searched for the words to follow it up as the boy slowly turned towards him, eyes still hollow and listless. "A-are you lost?", he finally managed to get out.

The boy slowly nodded. "Yes," he replied, giving a small, polite bow. "I don't like this place much; I-I don't like being alone."

What a despicable person Pit was for considering passing up such a sweet child! The Villager smiled slightly at him as he took the angel's hand, and he prayed his treachery couldn't be seen by his still deadened eyes. Did he look like that in Asphodel, he wondered, but he ignored the introspection as he guided the child's hand towards the ribbon. "I'm here on behalf of Master Hand, and he wanted me to bring you to a tournament," he explained.

Those hollow eyes filled with light. Whether it was from the ribbon or his report, it was impossible to say. "Super Smash Brothers?", the Villager questioned, wonder filling his words.

"Yeah!", Pit continued. "So I'm here to get you out of this place. You just need to follow this ribbon out, and you can't ever let go of it, got it?"

A slight nod came from the boy, as did a wide grin. Pit's heart swelled as his eyes followed the Villager as he ran along the ribbon towards the light. Even someone who hadn't been lost for long could be made happy by him, and that was the greatest feeling he could ever know. When he could no longer see the child for the light, Pit turned around, back into the blackness, and let the ribbon guide him forth, and he swore to himself he wouldn't reject a single soul he came across, no matter how certain he was they wouldn't be in there long.

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 _ **AN- I am sorry for the long wait. I truly am. I was busy with other writing things and school and basically this wasn't my priority. But I think this will continue more regularly now, if that makes it up to you, dear reader. Also, sorry these are such short chapters, but I was debating whether to give each character their own, shorter chapter or to stack them up in longer ones with a few of them each, and I decided this was the better way to go about things. It gives everyone their moment of focus, even if it isn't a particularly long one. So, thanks for reading! –Twilight Joltik**_

 _ **PS, I've written a one-shot contained within this same continuity about Lucas and Roy! It's called Death March and you should probably go read it because it's basically another chapter of this, but longer and without the Pit.**_


End file.
